Fusible line tapping device



June 11, 1935. c. H. WALSH ,6

FUSIBLE LINE TAPPING DEVICE Filed March 26, 1934 I4 C) Q :2 0 29 :2 29 a INVENTOR means of insulated or hot line tools. Serew 25, the insulator 2%, of any Patented June 11,1935 I 2,004,621

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FUSIBLE LINE TAPPING DEVICE Carroll H. Walsh, Pine Bluff, Ark, assignor to Tips Tool Company, Inc., Taylorville, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application March 26, 1934, Serial No, 717,463

5 Claims. (01. zoo-115.5

This invention relates to fusible line-tapping cilitate the engagement oi the electrode IS with devices for connecting electrical apparatus to an a line wire. A second integral portion of the overhead electric line, and has for its principal electrode 16 extends upwardly and outwardly in object the provision of a simple, inexpensive and a direction substantially normal to the aboveeffective device for this purpose. mentioned integral portion, and has its upper A further object is the provision of a fusibie end portion formed into the eye it, the latter line-tapping device adapted to clamp on and to being adapted to cooperate with an insulated; be supported by an overhead conductor, in which tool for the purpose of booking the device onv the fuse and the clamp have parts in common line wire. A threaded Op x s through m whereby a minimum of parts is required in the the last-named integrai portion in a direction construction of the device normal to the wire-engaging member i'i, into Another object is the provision of means for which is fitted the screw eye to, the end of which preventing damage to the fuse tube embodied in is arranged to engage the upper end. and the device from r page current over the sur therein rotate the member i1 about the pivot 15 face thereof following the blowing of the iuse H the p p of Clamping Wire ibfitweeil from the tube. the electrode it and the member 5'.

A yet further object is the provision of means Adjacent the lower end of the fuse is a fusible device for faeilitating instailasupp rt d. in ny Suitable m n y m a tron on and removal from a live eondnetor by oi the concentric ring 24 and the coo ting set file ma- 2G a eieetric lon the ntricailv With these and other objects in view which teriai having a high leakage a will appear as the description. proceeds, my in- Strength: Such as p fl E" vention resides in ti .1 novel combination and ar gitumnai opening through. oi the making up the device, latter is arranged coexist-113 2" 25 to the that the or parts reduced mt 131156 511398 and i a distributes the weight of the ii'ifiiila spent to t tube that iatter no vertie ition when the dev se groove is .211: fitted .c r r. onducting re 1 there mento /ere aintained in apprates engagemez of the .i 1 ioutwe-rdly members it extending, iii" tire are pro tube and terminal in ng nut it e clamping to M, and I) provided 2%), wh ch are DIT . two term i do??? its eliminating the recoil occasioned by the interruption of high currents.

In this embodiment, the wire-clamping device comprises the hook-shaped conducting member 33, which is provided for hooking thedevice to the line wire I, and an eye 29 is formed by an integral portion of the member 33 at the upper end thereof for facilitating the application of the device to a live conductor by means of an insulated tool. A wire-engaging shoe 3| is slidably mounted on one arm of the hook 33, the former being provided with an integral portion 32 extending across the opening of the hook for the purpose of continually maintaining the slidable shoe 3| in engagement with the line wire ID. A threaded opening is provided through and substantially normal to the member 33 for cooperating with the threads of. the screw eye IS, the end ofthe latter being arranged to engage the shoe 3|, and, upon rotation of the screw eye l5 in a predetermined direction, to clamp the line wire between one arm of the hook member 33 and the wire-engaging shoe 3|.

The hook member 33 is provided with a downwardly extending integral portion 46, at the lower end of which is provided a hollow cylindrical laterally extending integral portion 35, arranged for engaging a portion of the outer surface of the fuse tube |3 near the midpoint thereof.

The setscrew 36, cooperating with the hollow portion 35 and the tube I3, is provided for rigidly securing the tube in place. A laterally extending flat integral portion of the downwardly extending portion 46 is provided near the upper end of the tube |3 for securing the upper end of a fuse link thereto by means of the adjustable threaded terminal 34.

The insulator 43 is supported in any suitable manner adjacent the lower end of and extending downwardly from the portion 46 by means of an outwardly extending integral portion 40, which extends laterally from the portion 46 in a direction opposite that of the portion 35. The supporting means here-shown includes an opening through the portion 40 through which a threaded member secured to the insulator, 43 passes, the latter being secured by means of a cooperating nut 4|. In this manner the major axes of the tube l3 and the insulator 43 are supported in substantially parallel spaced relationship. A

conducting member 41 is secured to the lower end of the insulator 43 in any suitable manner, as by the cap screw '42 extending through the member 41 and into the insulator 43, and is provided with two integral downwardly extending end portions, one of which, in cooperation with the bolt 26 and its cooperating nut 21, provides a terminal for the load wire II, and the other .of which provides, in cooperation with the terminal 28, means for attaching the lower end of the fuse link 38. V

In this arrangement,'the fusible element of the fuse link 38 is preferably positioned within the tube near the midpoint thereof, so as to substantially balance the recoil in the upper half of the tube |3 againstthat in the lower half, and at the same time take advantage of. the tube reinforcement provided by the hollow portion 35.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the wire clamp is similar to that set out above in the description of Figure 2, and is therefore designated in its entirety by the numeral 31. This embodiment differs from that shown in Figure 2 only in the arrangement of the fuse'tube and ner, the passage of a fuse link through the fuse tube |3. In laterally spaced relationship to the tube l3 and substantially parallel thereto is supported the depending insulator 43, as described above in connection with Figure 2. A U- shaped conducting member 48, having one arm of the U secured to the lower end of the insulator 43 by means of the bolt 42, provides means for connecting the fuse link l2 and the load wire thereto, the former by means of the terminal 28, and the latter by means of the bolt 26 and the nut 21,

It will be seen that in both the embodiments illustrated by Figures 2 and 3, the blowing of the fuse links from the tubes in each of these arrangements will remove the fuse tubes from the circuit of which the fuse link was, prior to such blowing, a part.

Referring now to Figure 4, 50 designates the device illustrated in detail in Figure 1, being shown in the service position, connected to and suspended from the line wire. in. The load wire It provides a means for connecting the terminal of the apparatus 52 to the lower terminal of Figure 4 is only for the supported thereby, a fuse tube of insulating material open at both, ends, means including an integral portion of said clamp for rigidly supporting said tube near the midpoint thereof, an insulator, means combined with one end of said insulator for cooperating with an integral portion of said clamp for rigidly securing said insulator thereto, a terminal adapted ;to engage a load wire rigidly secured to said insulator adjacent the other end thereof, and means including a fuse link extending through said tube for connecting said clamp to said terminal.

2. A fusible line-tapping device comprising a clamp of conducting material adapted to .be removably attached to a line conductor, an insulator rigidly secured to said "clamp adjacent the lower end thereof and extending downwardly therefrom, a conducting member secured adjasaid tube for electrically connecting said clamp to said conducting member.

3. A fusible line-tapping device comprising a clamp of conducting material arranged to cooperate with a line conductor and to be detachably supported thereby, said clamp having an integral hollow cylindrical portion adjacent the lower end thereof, a fuse tube of insulating material open at both ends extending through said hollow portion, said tube being supported adjacent the midpoint thereof, a fuse link extending through said tube, a load terminal, insulating means supporting said load terminal, means including an integral portion of said clamp for supporting said insulating means, said insulating means normally insulating said clamp and said load terminal, and means including integral portions of said clamp and said lead terminal for attaching the respective ends of said fuse link thereto whereby said clamp and said load terminal are electrically connected.

4. A fusible line-tapping device comprising a clamp of conducting material adapted to be removably attached to a line conductor, an insulator rigidly secured to said clamp adjacent the lower end thereof and extending downwardly therefrom, a conducting member secured adjacent the lower end of said insulator, a fuse tube of insulating material, means including an integral laterally extending portion of said clamp arranged to cooperate with the upper end of said tube for supporting said tube substantially parallel to and spaced from said insulator, said laterally extending portion forming a top electrode on said fuse tube, and means including a fuse link extending through said tube for electrically connecting said clamp to said conducting member.

5. A fusible line-tapping device comprising a clamp of conducting material arranged to remov ably engage a line wire and to be supported thereby, an insulator secured to said clamp adjacent the lower end thereof and extending downwardly therefrom, a conducting member secured adjacent the lower end of said insulator, means for connecting a load wire to said conducting member, a fuse link, and means including a first detachable terminal carried by said clamp and a second detachable terminal carried by said conducting member for engaging the respective ends of said fuse link.

CARROLL H. WALSH. 

